History of Hong Kong Island

Chapter 413
"Sir Patton, the Rickshaw Association's price reduction campaign has squeezed the ferry market and caused a great negative impact on the Star Ferry." Peninsula Hotel, Yi Migao sat next to a tea seat, and said to the Deputy Commissioner of Police Patton in front of him. : "The stock price of Star Ferry fell by 13.00% in one day. If it continues like this, the loss will be huge. Can the police force come forward to solve it?"

Barton was wearing a suit, picked up a coffee cup, and said in a deep thought: "The police force cannot intervene in the market economy. I am afraid there is no reason to come forward."

Emigao quietly pushed a check in front of him, and said: "Rickshaws gathered at North Point Ferry Pier, Kowloon City Ferry Terminal, Tsim Sha Tsui East, and Yau Ma Tei. The number of people has exceeded [-]. It is an organized social activity."

"But did not apply to the police force for assembly, which is an illegal assembly."

"The police can use the prohibition of illegal assembly as an excuse to disperse the rickshaws on the street."

Barton's eyes fell on the amount of the check, and his eyes suddenly became sharp. He could see five zeros at a glance. While putting down the coffee, he folded the check, put it in his inner pocket and said, "Mr. Yi It makes sense."

"The gathering of too many rickshaws will indeed affect social security, and most of the rickshaw drivers are from community backgrounds. It is absolutely forbidden to organize social activities without reporting to the police."

Seeing this, Emigao heaved a sigh of relief: "Sir Barton, I leave the matter to you."

"It's just for the sake of social security." Besides the position of deputy director of operations, Barton is also the chairman of the police fund. He has just passed the investment plan for the Star Ferry Company, and he is actually a director of the Star Ferry.

Although it is the police fund that holds the shares rather than Barton himself, Barton needs to be responsible for this investment, and the two are related in terms of interests.This is also the reason why Emigao can easily contact Barton and ask the police to take action.

But at the second when Barton accepted the money, Yi Migao was suddenly stunned. Seeing the other party looking at him, Barton said without saying a word, "Sir Yi, is there any question?"

"No."

"No more." He opened his mouth and replied.

"Well."

"I'll go back and make arrangements." Patton acted simply, full of military style, and immediately got up and left.

Yi Migao looked at his figure, but he already figured out who was in trouble!If it wasn't a problem between the police forces, then He Dingxian could have approved the rickshaw company's gathering activities, leaving Barton with no reason to do so.

And is Barton's behavior right now?

He's not in the mood to care.

I only hope that Barton has the ability to settle this matter. As for what will happen to Barton afterwards?unimportant!Overcoming the crisis of the Rickshaw Association is a victory, and the police force will fight as they like, as long as the Star Ferry Company is not involved.

This time, Yi Migao's behavior is not even a gambling, it is nothing more than a fight between gods, mortals suffer, and innocent people suffer, and the ending can only be resigned to fate.

The next day.

early morning.

At dusk, the first ferry sailed across the sea and slowly berthed at the North Point pier.

The gate of the pier.

The coachmen pulled carts to the gate of the pier as usual, gathered together and waited in line for customers. When the first driver saw the customers coming out one after another, he immediately solicited customers and shouted: "Boss, does the boss take a car?"

"5 cents trample the whole of Hong Kong."

"A lot of cars, no need to wait."

A guest came to the door, called the coachman, and asked with a smile, "Master, is it still five cents?"

"Correct!"

"The ferry does not reduce the price, and the driver does not increase the price." The master with a flattering smile, dry skin, and dark body bent down to put down the car, and invited the guests to get on the car while talking.The guest nodded in satisfaction, stepped into the car, and said cheerfully, "Admiralty."

"okay."

"boss."

The master hung up the sweat towel, pulled up the shaft and drove away.The guest sat in the car and added a rare sentence: "Thanks for your hard work."

At this time, twenty of the more than 60 guests who got off the first ferry had already called rickshaws to their destinations, and then the second batch of rickshaws filled up, and there was never a shortage of cars at North Point Pier.However, even the coachman noticed that there were more customers at the North Point Wharf. A young man who had just arrived in Hong Kong Island and spoke Chaoshan dialect counted shrewdly: "There are 68 people in total, and there are more passengers on the first ferry than yesterday." Twenty or so."

"Moreover, there are fewer people catching the early boat. This ratio will be even higher during the peak hours of [-] or [-] o'clock. More and more people are taking the Yau Ma Tei Ferry."

The middle-aged coachman glanced at him: "Young man, you have good eyesight. Yesterday the guests couldn't get a ride in Wanchai, so they would naturally take a boat to North Point to disembark. A rickshaw or a taxi, the fool knows which is cheaper."

"Driving a car is much more comfortable than pulling a rickshaw."

The young man sighed, "We are using our feet to help the Yau Ma Tei Ferry grab customers."

The middle-aged coachman kicked him: "Do you have the money to take the driver's license test? Do you have a car and a license plate after the driver's license test? No one has learned how to do it, so I want to be the master of the cart. Pull the cart hard!"

"We don't help the Yau Ma Tei Ferry to snatch customers, who will make up the fare for us? Everything in the world is about mutual benefit, what do you know?"

The old coachman thinks he sees through the world and educates the younger generation, but he can't see that the Yau Ma Tei Ferry is just a superficial one.On the other hand, the young man was very clever, looking around, he asked aloud, "Uncle, where is my Uncle Kuang?"

"Brother Kuang?"

The old coachman looked around and said: "Yesterday, after the union paid out the rewards, a few staff members from the association came out and called a group of brothers to eat, and Uncle Kuang also went. Maybe he drank too much, so he should come to work later. "

"Stinky boy, don't look around, someone found you sneaking at the female relatives, gouged your eyes first, go up to solicit customers!" When he saw the younger boy, he unconsciously glanced at the legs of a woman in a floral skirt and ponytail, He gave the younger boy a hard kick.

The younger boy stumbled to the woman, not daring to lift his head, and bent down with low self-esteem: "Miss, do you want to take a car?"

"it is good."

Women don't mind.

The old coachman looked at him with a secret smile on his face, and knew in his heart what dreams the young man was having, but it didn't matter, the one who pulls the cart is the one who pulls the cart, so it is impossible to have any stories with the guests, it's just that the train is working hard .

10 minute later.

The old coachman also got his first customer today, but he was a big fat man weighing almost two hundred catties
As the second and third flights arrived one after another, the drivers at the North Point pier became very busy.The passenger flow of the Yau Ma Tei Ferry is indeed high, making the wooden pier bustling like a market. On the contrary, the Wanchai pier is deserted, and the number of customers is greatly reduced. There are only [-] or [-] passengers on each ferry. The taxi drivers were disappointed.In fact, all the smart taxis have been changed to North Point to wait. Instead of hoping that the Star Ferry will be taken advantage of, it is better to hope that there are not enough drivers at the North Point Pier, or that some people travel together and want to take a taxi to take over this part. Benefit customers may be more profitable.

But when the North Point pier became more and more busy, a British inspector led two teams of police officers to the side of the road where the drivers gathered, took out his ID and advised: "According to the police force regulations, social gatherings of more than 50 people require Submit for approval."

"The police department has not received your application for approval, and you will be given 5 minutes to evacuate, otherwise, we will conduct a mandatory evacuation."

A rickshaw driver put down his rickshaw, stood up in front of Guilao, put his ID card on the ground, and said angrily: "We have a rickshaw license, and we have always pulled rickshaws here, who stipulated that we need to apply for it?"

"you."

The British inspector saw the driver's insulting behavior, his eyes were sullen, he pulled out his baton decisively, pointed at the ID card on the ground and shouted: "Pick it up!"

The coachman raised his neck, returned his eyes without fear, and said forcefully: "What if I don't pick it up? What do you want!"

More than a dozen rickshaw drivers put down the shafts and unconsciously gathered behind the brothers, looking at the police with hostile eyes.It happened that a group of ferry passengers arrived at the pier. When they saw the scene of the British police officer holding a baton and threatening the driver, they decided to stand with the driver. Except for a few people who left in a hurry, most of them gathered by the pier to watch.

British inspectors have always been used to shouting and drinking. Even if they know that the police force is now in charge of the Chinese, they respect the powerful faction among the Chinese. How can they tolerate a manpower cart shouting at themselves?But seeing more and more people gathered around, he still suppressed the anger in his heart, gritted his teeth and said, "Pick it up!"

The coachman was about to return the greetings to Guilao's family, but his shoulders were suddenly held down. He looked back and stepped aside, giving the right to speak to Brother Zhan, the vice chairman of the rickshaw union.At this time, Brother Zhan was wearing a black shirt and a turban, stooped to pick up the police officer's card on the ground, blew the dust on it, wiped it with the corner of his clothes, handed his hands to the British inspector, and sincerely apologized: : "Sorry, sir, my brother is not sensible, but there are so many guests waiting, can you let us finish this trip?"

The British inspector looked at Brother Zhan with a look of contempt and disgust, then forcefully withdrew the ID from his hand, and gave an indifferent answer: "Now, immediately, get out!"

A group of drivers standing behind Brother Zhan couldn't bear it any longer, and shouted out loudly: "Damn it, why? We have a license plate, business here is good, can't we come here to solicit more customers? Who stipulates a place? There can only be a dozen rickshaws?"

Brother Zhan was still humble, bowed and said: "Sir, we are just eating for a living, walking all over Hong Kong with two legs is only 5 cents, working for a month is not enough for you to eat a meal, it is really not worth being angry with us .”

Just when the British inspector was about to explode, a Chinese guest couldn't bear it any longer. He boldly stepped out of the roadside and shouted, "Is there a car?"

"I want to take a car."

"Have!"

"Yes!" Brother Zhan quickly agreed, turned around and waved, and immediately a rickshaw ran over.The rest of the guests shouted: "I'm going to take a car too, come a car, hurry up, I'm in a hurry"

"Yes, yes, yes." The coachmen ran away one after another to solicit customers.

(End of this chapter)